The Therigatha, or the Verses of the Nuns, is the oldest collection of teachings from Buddhist women teachers. The verses give important insight into the lives of the nuns who lived at the time of the Buddha. In this daylong class we will examine how the verses reveal the close relationships among these early nuns. We will focus closely on the verses which reveal how the nuns taught the Buddha’s teachings to each other. As part of the day we will examine the relevance of these teachings today.

Nona Olivia has been practicing meditation for some 40 years, during which time she raised her children and became a grandmother. Deeply involved in the Insight Meditation tradition of Theravada Buddhism, Nona graduated from Spirit Rock Meditation Center’s first Dedicated Practitioner Program and is a Lay Buddhist Minister, ordained by Gil Fronsdal. Nona practices with and is very inspired by the monastics in the tradition of Ajahn Chah. She holds a PhD from Brown University and teaches at the University of Colorado in Boulder.